


Blue Swans (...of death?)

by Goldy



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 02:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldy/pseuds/Goldy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> Death by swan attack seemed like a horribly undignified way to go out when she spent a large portion of her time defending the Earth from alien invasions.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Swans (...of death?)

“Ooh, swans!” said the Doctor, dropping Rose’s hand to bound over to the bridge. He rested his elbows on the railing, head bent low over the pond for a better view. He raised his voice. “Blimey! Rose, the swans are _blue_. Have you ever seen blue swans before?”

Rose glanced over her shoulder, half expecting to find half of London's police squad on their heels. “If we're gonna go sneaking into parks after dark, we should at least try and be quiet about it.”

The Doctor shot her a delighted grin—like he’d enjoy nothing more than to get caught by the police. Not that they’d _really_ get in trouble. All she had to do was flash her Torchwood badge at them and claim they were there on official business. But the Doctor seemed so delighted that they’d snuck into St. James’s park after dark—that they were skirting the _rules_. She wasn’t about to go and take that bit of excitement away from him.

He had, she had to admit, been awfully good about following most rules since arriving in her parallel universe. What was a little breaking and entering after dark in the grand scheme of things?

She reached his side and ducked under his arm, snuggling up to his side. The Doctor instinctively wrapped an arm around her and Rose leaned into him. Just as she was relaxing into the cuddle, the Doctor jostled her to the side and continued excitedly, “ _Blue swans_ , Rose. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He whipped out his glasses and bent over the railing again. Rose gave in and followed his example. “They’re not exactly a rarity in this world.”

“That’s just it,” said the Doctor. “Nine-hundred years, thousands of worlds, millions of years, and this is the first time I’ve seen blue swans.”

He sounded awed and Rose felt something tighten in her chest. Sneaking into St. James’s Park after dusk wasn’t exactly the year five billion and blue swans weren’t the same as Cat Nuns and meeting Queen Victoria. She knew his eyes still dimmed when he looked at the sky, but he hadn’t gone and locked himself away in a room to mope. He went out into the world and kept exploring.

Rose reckoned that she could, too.

She jostled his shoulder with her own. “Just wait until you see the purple crows.”

He sent her an incredulous look. “You are kidding me.”

He looked vaguely surprised when the words left his mouth—like he always did when something very Donna crept into his voice—and Rose snickered. “Nope. Not about something this important.”

She stuck her hand in his pocket and he blinked at her. “Looking for something?”

“Chocolate,” said Rose. “You said you packed some, yeah?”

“Ooh, using chocolate to attract the crows? Clever.”

“No, you doof, for me,” said Rose, still rummaging around. “Hey! I think I found the key to Mum’s pool house. It’s been missing for ages.”

“I needed it for the self-operating vacuum cleaner,” said the Doctor. “Listen, you might want to watch out for the—”

Rose’s fingers brushed against something wet and furry and she yanked her hand out, wiping them on her jeans. “What the hell was that? Are you carrying a mouse in there?”

“Juniper!” said the Doctor. “I was wondering where he got off to. I rescued him from the Torchwood laboratory.”

Rose decided not to think about how and why a mouse could live in the Doctor’s pocket. “Oh.”

“Ah!” said the Doctor, pulling something out of his other pocket. “Here it is. One chocolate bar coming up.” He waved it in front of her face and Rose greedily snapped it up. The Doctor looked proud of himself. “You, Rose Tyler, are adorable.”

He tapped her on her nose as if to prove his point and she grinned at him, feeling her cheeks warm. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Quite right, too!” he said. “ _And_ I’ll tell you something else—”

But the Doctor never got a chance to finish. At that moment, one of the swans gave a loud squawk and flapped its wings against the water. Its pointed beak swung around and fixed in Rose’s direction.

She and the Doctor looked at each other. “Um...” said the Doctor, scratching at an ear. “I think it wants the chocolate.”

The swan squawked again and Rose instinctively took a step back. Death by swan attack seemed like a horribly undignified way to go out when she spent a large portion of her time defending the Earth from alien invasions. She spoke out of the corner of her mouth, “Doctor, what do we do?”

The Doctor had his eyes fixed on the swan and he stepped slightly in front of Rose protectively. Without turning, he said, “Quick—give it the chocolate and we can make a fast getaway.”

“Oi! I’m not giving it the chocolate,” said Rose. “Why don’t you—I dunno—throw the mouse at it or something? Maybe that’ll distract it.”

The Doctor spun around, looking appalled. “I’m not sacrificing Juniper!”

The swan squawked again, wings beating against the surface of the water. The Doctor yelped in surprise and then grabbed Rose’s hand.

They took off, feet slapping against the bridge as they made a fast get-away. A few minutes later, Rose tugged on the Doctor’s hand, bringing him to a stop.

“I think we’re safe,” she said, panting. She hadn’t run that quickly in a _long_ time. Too many hours spent locked up in a Torchwood office and not enough time with the Doctor, she reckoned.

The Doctor grinned—eyes shining like he was having a brilliant time. Then he swooped in and kissed her.

Rose was breathless when he pulled away. “What was that for?”

He shrugged. “How about—I’m glad we survived a nefarious swan attack. Well, that, and you taste like chocolate.” He paused. “Do I really need a reason?”

“No,” said Rose. “Guess I’m still getting used to it—this new you.”

“Not _that_ new,” said the Doctor, suddenly serious. “It’s not like I didn’t—that is, I always wanted this. With you.” Then he broke out into a wide grin again. “Ooh, did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” said Rose blankly.

“Crows,” said the Doctor, holding out one hand to shush her and cocking his head to the side. “Yes! This way—c’mon!”

And he was off again. Rose had no choice but to follow—not that she would have it any other way. 


End file.
